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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Health
Resources by State: Kentucky

Introducing K-DATA: Kentucky - Demographics, Analytics, Trends and Access (K-DATA)
Reports on health and population in Kentucky. Includes coverage of state demographics, social determinants of health, healthcare workforce supply and distribution, Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), access to care, facilities, public health programs, nutrition, youth, people with disabilities, substance use disorder, cancer, diabetes, and characteristics of Kentucky's rural, urban, Delta, and Appalachian regions.
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health
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2023 Kentucky Nursing Workforce Report
Reports on Registered Nurses and Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) licensed in Kentucky in 2023. Includes breakdowns by urban and rural location and provides county-by-county APRN to population ratios. Discusses challenges related to nursing workforce distribution.
Author(s): Sierra Williams, Frances Feltner, Sydney P. Howard
Date: 2024
Sponsoring organization: Center for Economic Analysis of Rural Health
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Disparities in Mortality Between Appalachian and Non-Appalachian Regions of Kentucky
Compares all-cause, drug-related, and opioid-related mortality in Kentucky, with breakdowns by metropolitan/nonmetropolitan and Appalachian/non-Appalachian counties. Utilizes 2000-2019 CDC WONDER mortality data. Identifies mortality trends, and discusses related demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic factors.
Author(s): Sonali S. Salunkhe, Sahal Alzahrani, Beatrice Ugiliweneza
Citation: Journal of Appalachian Health, 5(3), 38-52
Date: 12/2023
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Policy, Systems, and Environmental Strategies Generated by Stakeholders to Support Food Security in Rural Communities
Examines policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) strategies in rural communities of Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, and Texas that address food insecurity. Provides recommendations based on interview data such as improving ease of program enrollment, providing more awareness of services, and making program use more hassle-free.
Additional links: Arizona Brief, Full Report, Georgia Brief, Kentucky Brief, Michigan Brief, Texas Brief
Author(s): Carmen Byker Shanks, Shelly Palmer, Emily Shaw, et al.
Date: 12/2023
Sponsoring organization: No Kid Hungry
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Scaling up Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution in Kentucky: Adoption and Reach Achieved Through a "Hub with Many Spokes" Model
Examines a hub-and-spoke model for overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) in Kentucky. Discusses the efficacy of a university-based naloxone dispensing unit and the related adopting organizations to provide technical assistance, education, and no-cost naloxone. Analyzes rural versus urban OEND and the impact of rurality on OEND.
Author(s): Hannah K. Knudsen, Patricia R. Freeman, Douglas R. Oyler, Carrie B. Oser, Sharon L. Walsh
Citation: Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 18(72)
Date: 11/2023
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RCORP: Helping Meet Rural Needs
Video series featuring the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy's Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP), a multi-year initiative that funds a range of grant programs to help rural communities treat and prevent opioid use disorder. RCORP grantees share how they have used this funding to address the needs of their communities.
Date: 11/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Recent Incarceration, Substance Use, Overdose, and Service Use Among People Who Use Drugs in Rural Communities
Compares 2,935 people who use drugs (PWUD) in rural areas of 10 states to evaluate the impact of time since last incarceration on access to treatment and overdose rates. Discusses policy measures that could increase access to and successful completion of treatment for substance use disorders.
Author(s): Daniel B. Hoover, Todd Korthuis, Elizabeth Needham Waddell, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(11), 2342222
Date: 11/2023
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Severe Housing Problems in Kentucky
Reports on severe housing problems in Kentucky using 2019 American Community Survey data. Compares rates of severe housing problems by property type and problems experienced, with breakdowns for urban, rural, and very rural areas. Also discusses the health impacts of inadequate housing and identifies areas for improvement.
Author(s): Joe Kercsmar
Date: 10/2023
Sponsoring organization: Blueprint Kentucky
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Telemedicine Buprenorphine Initiation and Retention in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Medicaid Enrollees
Evaluated buprenorphine treatment via telemedicine and overdose outcomes for 91,914 people in Kentucky and Ohio on Medicaid in 2020 to determine the impact of telemedicine on treatment retention and opioid-related nonfatal overdose. Includes discussion on the implications for rural residents.
Author(s): Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Aimee Mack, Redonna K. Chandler, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(10), e2336914
Date: 10/2023
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Development of the Rural Perception Scale (RPS-18)
Examines perceptions of rurality through a survey of 1,384 people in rural Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Provides data breakdowns by geography of 18 perceptions related to belonging, attitudes toward rurality, loneliness, and community social ties. Discusses the relationship between individual factors, the concept of rurality, and geographically defined versus perceived rurality.
Author(s): Sunny Jung Kim, Jennifer Alford-Teaster, Jenna E. Schiffelbein, Tracy Onega
Citation: The Journal of Rural Health, 40(2), 348-367
Date: 09/2023
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